Man gets prison for avoiding child support payments

On behalf of Law Offices of Lisa Stern posted in Child Support on Wednesday, March 19, 2014.

Many divorced Michigan parents are obligated to pay child support payments to their ex-spouse after a divorce. Most parents dutifully pay these obligations, while others ignore them or go to great lengths to avoid them. One man is now facing prison time after hiding his assets in order to avoid paying child support.

The 50-year-old real estate investor from California is now facing a prison term of 17 years for hiding his assets and then filing for bankruptcy. He is charged with money laundering and 15 counts of bankruptcy fraud.

The man and his wife split in 1999. He was ordered to pay child support for his two children, now teenagers. The man filed for bankruptcy in 2005. Before and after that time, he hid assets by titling them assets in the names of others. He even had assistance from a lawyer who would help the man launder the money back to himself. She is also facing money laundering charges.

The FBI became aware of the fraud when the man asked them to investigate his ex-wife. In addition to the prison sentence, the man must forfeit his assets totaling nearly $3 million and pay a fine of $500,000.

The man is now paying the penalty for failure to pay child support. It seemed like a lot of work simply in order to avoid taking responsibility. It's unfortunate that the man would go to such extremes to put on a façade and fail to fulfill his obligations as a father.

Those whose financial situations change and can no longer afford child support payments set by the courts can have an attorney help them file for a child support modification. It takes a lot of money to raise a child, and both parents should do their fair share and take an active role in their child's life.

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